Shattered Lives
by the-Bookworm-Princess
Summary: This is my little post Twilight fic. I finally got it out. I know that everyone has done one, but mine has a unique twist, I promise. Spoilers for Twilight. Duh... Complete.
1. I Loved Her

Title: Shattered Lives

Author: Jeana

Spoilers: Twlight

Pairing: Tony/Kate. The Gibbs/Abby interaction is intended to be purely a close friendship, but could be taken as ship if you wanted.

Disclaimer: Navy NCIS is the property of Belisaurius, Paramount, DPB, CBS, and all that jazz...The characters just run around in my head all day long, so I put them to work.

Author's Note: I know that just about everybody has done a post-Twlight fic to get it out of their systems, but mine has a different twist. I also wasn't able to get this edited or beta-ed, so any mistakes are completely my fault. Enjoy.

* * *

Kate's cry of "Shooter!" startled Tony, and he looked up in time to see Kate run and jump in front of Gibbs, throwing her body in front of the bullet intended for her boss. She groaned when it hit her, then she fell to the ground with a grunt.

Tony and Gibbs immediately began firing in the direction of the shooter in the stairwell. The terrorist, full of bullets, tumbled through the door, down the steps, and collapsed, lifeless, on the roof. Gibbs turned to woman who had just saved his life. "Kate?" he called worriedly. Tony looked at Kate lying there, motionless, and felt his stomach flip-flop. Both men rushed over and knelt by her side.

The rolled her over onto her back and pulled her jacket open. They sighed in relief when they saw the terrorist's bullet imbedded in her Kevlar vest.

"You okay?" Tony asked, as relief washed over him.

"Oww," was Kate's reply. "I just got shot at point-blank range, DiNozzo, what do you think?"

Tony smiled; Kate was just as snarky as ever. "You're not going to be going to Pilates class tomorrow?"

Kate just groaned in response.

Gibbs and Tony helped her up, and she grunted in pain as she stood. "Protection detail's over, Kate," Gibbs informed her.

"You did good," Tony said with a grin.

"For once, DiNozzo's right." Gibbs smiled.

Kate chuckled. "Wow. I thought I'd die before I ever heard a compli-"

Bang! The bullet came seemingly from out of nowhere and went completely through Kate's head, splattering blood everywhere, including the side of Tony's face. Her lifeless body fell to the ground. Tony looked down at Kate in shock, then looked up, trying to figure out who had shot her and from where.

Gibbs raised his gun and looked at the building across from them. He knew who had shot his agent. "Ari…" he whispered.

XXXXXX

As soon as they were sure that the area was clear, Tony knelt by his fallen comrade. "No, no, no, Kate…not now…not like this…" Ever hopeful, he placed his fingers on her neck, feeling for a pulse. His hopes were crushed when he didn't feel the blood coursing through her veins, and he didn't even try to stop the tears that started to fall. "Kate…" his voice broke as he brushed her cheek with his fingertips. He pulled her lifeless body into his arm and began sobbing quietly.

As Gibbs watched Tony's show of emotion, he felt his throat tighten. He swallowed hard and angrily blinked back the bitter tears that threatened to spill. After a moment, he walked over to Tony and knelt next to him, putting his hand on the other man's shoulder. "Tony…" he had opened his mouth to say something comforting, but no words would come.

"Boss…I know I've always been strong, but…" Tony's throat constricted. "I can't, boss…I just can't."

"I know. I understand." Gibbs stayed there with his hand on Tony's shoulder and soon, he too, lost the battle and succumbed to tears. They were just tears, though, not sobs like Tony's. Gibbs willed himself not to break down in front of the other agent.

A few minutes later, when Tony's sobs subsided, he said shakily, "This can't happen! I loved her."

"I know, Tony. I know."

"No. You don't!" Tony pulled back the collar of her shirt, reached under her Kevlar vest, and pulled out a thin golden necklace. Strung on the necklace was a diamond ring. Not trusting his voice, Tony just looked up at Gibbs and let his eyes do the talking.

When Gibbs saw the ring, scintillating in the sunlight, a new pang of sorrow and bitterness stabbed him like a knife in the heart. "Tony, I…I'm so sorry."

"We were going to make it official a few weeks ago, but then I got the Plague."

Gibbs squeezed Tony's shoulder, a very emotional gesture for Gibbs, and whispered, "So sorry…" Needing a moment to himself, he stood and said, "I'll call Ducky. Why don't you go find McGee?"

Tony nodded and reverently lay Kate's body back down, closing her eyes with his fingertips. He reached a hand up and let Gibbs pull him to his feet. Then he walked slowly over to the stairs.

After watching Tony disappear down the stairs, Gibbs gave in to his emotions. He sank to his knees and let sobs rack his body for several minutes. Then, he regained his composure, wiped away all traces of the tears he had shed, and pulled out his cell phone. "Hey, Ducky, can you come out here? And bring the truck…"

XXXXXX

Tony met McGee at the bottom of the stairs.

"I got all the terrorists in the building," McGee said pleasantly. Noting Tony's depressed expression, he asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

"No. I'm not alright, McGee." He was fighting to keep his voice even.

Noticing for the first time the blood on Tony's face, McGee began to get worried. "Tony, where are Gibbs and Kate?"

"Gibbs is up on the roof calling Ducky."

McGee's stomach flip-flopped. "And Kate?"

Tony pressed his lips together, then managed. "They shot her."

"But she'll be alright, won't she?"

"No. She's dead. He killed her! That bastard killed her!" Tony could feel the tears threatening to return.

McGee stepped back in shock and then repeated, "She…she's dead?"

"Yes, McGee, she's dead! No longer living! Gone! Never coming back!" Tony was trying hard not to cry in front of McGee, but it was no use. In frustration he turned and slammed his fists on the door of the building as he cried out in rage.

Still in shock, McGee just stood there, as if in a daze. His jaw had dropped during Tony's last outburst, now he slowly licked his lips as he tried to process what his colleague had just told him. Kate, his fellow agent, his teammate, _his friend,_ was dead.

While McGee was standing there in shock and Tony was leaning against the side of building, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself, an NCIS truck pulled into the parking lot. Ducky and Palmer quickly got out. The former's eyes were slightly puffy and the latter's nose was red.

"Gibbs has informed us of what happened," Ducky said with an edge in his voice. "Mr. Palmer and I are deeply grieved."

When Tony made no response, Ducky looked at him; Tony was staring off into space, a glazed look in his eyes. "Tony? Tony, are you alright?" Ducky approached the younger man and patted his shoulder. "Tony?"

Tony slowly turned and stared at Ducky, the look in his eyes was similar to that of a lost, abused puppy. "Ducky, she can't be gone. She just can't be gone!"

Seeing that his friend was on the edge of breaking down, Ducky pulled Tony into a comforting embrace.

Tony hugged the kind M.E. fiercely and lamented, "It just isn't fair, Ducky! I was going to marry her…"

McGee and Palmer's eyebrows shot up at this, while Ducky just nodded; he had seen that coming for quite some time.

"After years of searching, I finally find the right girl, and then she's taken from me!"

"I know, Tony; life isn't fair." He patted Tony's back, then looked at McGee and Palmer and nodded towards the stairs, indicating that they should remove Kate's body while he talked to Tony. The two men quickly complied, getting the gurney and body bag from the truck and dragging it up the stairs.

When they were gone, Tony released Ducky and leaned his back against the side of the building. Ducky stood next to him. Tony rubbed his eyes and asked quietly, "Why, Ducky? Why?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that, Tony. But I _can_ say that I know how you feel. My wife, Amelia, died in a car accident shortly after out seventh wedding anniversary."

"I'm sorry, Ducky," Tony responded sympathetically.

"Amelia was an amazing woman, as was Kate.

_Was_. Kate _was_.

Rage suddenly filled Tony's mind. "I'll kill Ari! I swear I'll blow his head off!" As he made his threat, the image of his beloved lying in a puddle of blood with a bullet hole in her head flashed through his mind and Tony began to feel nauseated and light-headed. Suddenly, his knees buckled underneath him.

"Tony!" Ducky barely managed to catch his colleague before he hit the ground. "Gibbs!" Ducky cried loudly.

"What?" came the reply from above.

"Call an ambulance! Quickly!"


	2. Solemn Vow

Author's Note: Sorry that I didn't get this up sooner. I was otherwise detained a.k.a. grounded. I am also sorry if someone else did a story where Tony and Kate were engaged. I promise that the only post-Twilight fic that I have read had absolutely no ship in it, and I am sorry if I appear to have copied anyone's idea. And, yes, to answer a few people's question, their engagement was the "twist". Anyways, right now I am having to grab my CPU and run because of Hurricane Rita. GO AWAY, RITA! Anyways, I shall try to get up the rest of this story after I return and the waters recede. Hopefully my house won't be flooded. hugs CPU tightly Did anyone catch the premiere tonight? It ROCKED! Anyways, on with the show! …err, story.

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Chapter Two - Solemn Vow

When Tony woke up, he couldn't see anything. He was in a bed; he knew that much. A hospital bed from the feel of it. He was aware of something draped across his chest, and felt something warm lying next to him. He placed his hand on the object on his chest; it was an arm. He ran his fingers up the arm and continued until he found a head. He felt around and discovered that the head had pigtails. Abby. Not that he had been expecting Gibbs or McGee. He smiled. Having Abby in his bed was good, but Kate would have been better. Kate…

"Kate!" he cried as he sat up quickly.

Abby was jarred awake and reached for the lamp. She turned it on and smiled at her friend. "Tony! Glad you're back with us." She hugged him and he returned the embrace.

"Abby…where is Kate?" _'Oh, please let it all have been a bad dream…'_ he hoped silently.

Abby looked down. "Tony…Kate's dead," she said softly.

Tony let his head fall back on the pillow. He closed his eyes and bit his lip. It wasn't a nightmare. The girl of his dreams, the love of his life, was dead.

"How long have I been out of it?" was his next question.

"About eight hours. You had us worried, Tony."

"What happened? Why am I here?"

"You passed out. Ducky said it was probably due to shock."

"So…so Kate's really gone?"

"Yes," Abby answered passively.

Her seeming nonchalance saddened Tony, but Abby had been nowhere near that calm when Gibbs had first told her. Not wanting to tell Abby about Kate over the phone, Gibbs had merely told her about Tony and asked her to meet them at the hospital…

_Abby stepped off the elevator and found Tony's room. Outside the door, Gibbs, Ducky, and McGee were listening to a doctor talk about Tony's condition. She got there just as the doctor said, "I'll check in on him later." With that, he left._

_"Hey, guys," she greeted them. "Is Tony going to be okay?"_

_"Tony will be fine, Abby," Gibbs answered._

_Abby sighed in relief and smiled. "Is Kate in there with him?"_

_The men looked at each other, then looked down. "No," Gibbs answered after a pause._

_"Well, then where is she?"_

_Gibbs swallowed hard. "She's dead, Abbs," he told her softly._

_"Hahaha, you're so funny," she said sarcastically. "Now where is she?"_

_"Abbs…"_

_ Abby searched Gibbs's eyes, hoping to see some indication of a sick joke; she saw only honesty and sorrow. She began slowly shaking her head as she took a step backwards. "No…" she whispered._

_"Abby-"_

_"No!" she cried. "She _can't_ be! We were going to see a movie this evening! She was going to come over to my place!" When the tears came, she didn't care that anyone saw. "She is my best friend! Gibbs, she can't be dead!" She threw herself at her boss and began pounding his chest with her fists. "She. Can't. Die!"_

_Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "Oh, Abby…"_

_ Abby continued sobbing uncontrollably for several minutes, drenching Gibbs's shoulder with her bitter tears. No more sleepovers. No more movies after work. No more "girls night in". No more weekends at the spa. No more girl talk late at night. No more getting the best of McGee. No more Kate._

_ Having used most of her energy crying, Abby slid to the ground, taking Gibbs with her. She crawled into his lap and sobbed as he gently rocked her. She cried until she had no more tears left, but Gibbs continued to hold and rock her._

_A few minutes later, Abby began wiping her tear-stained face._

_"Are you going to be okay, Abby?" Gibbs asked, concerned._

_ "I think so," she sniffled. Abby looked up and noticed that she and Gibbs were the only ones in the hallway. "What happened to Ducky and McGee?" she asked._

_"They went out to the waiting room a while ago," Gibbs replied._

_"Oh." Abby stood and reached her hands down to pull Gibbs up._

_"The doctor said that Tony will be fine, so we're all going to go home; we need the rest."_

_"I want to stay."_

_"Abbs…"_

_She shook her head. "No, Gibbs. I want to stay. I need to stay."_

_Gibbs didn't want to argue with her. "Alright, Abby. You take good care of him."_

_"I will."_

_"Goodnight, Abby."_

_ "Goodnight, Gibbs." Abby hugged him once more, then watched him leave, before entering Tony's room. She sat down in the chair next to him and waited…_

Tony's voice faltered as he said, "She was my girl…"

"I know, I know." Kate had called Abby the very night that Tony had proposed; Abby had promised to keep it secret until they announced it.

"Abby…how can I live without her?" He let a tear slip down his cheek.

"I don't know, Tony, I don't know…" Abby's voice betrayed the fact that she was on the verge of tears, and when Tony looked up at her and pulled her into his arms, she began sobbing again. "It's not fa-a-air!" she cried between sobs, "She was my be-best fri-end. I loved her so much!"

"I know, Abbs, I loved her, too." Tony's voice cracked and he allowed the tears to fall, unchecked. Tony didn't know what to do with himself. He and Kate were going to spend the rest of their lives together. But now Kate's life was gone. Wasted. Taken by a terrorist in his quest for revenge. Tony's had been spared. But his life was now shattered. Bitter. Consumed by a bloodlust to kill the one who had murdered his love.

When the two friends finally stopped sobbing, Abby whispered, for her voice was now hoarse, "Tony, promise you that you'll get Ari."

"I will, Abby. I'll kill him if it's the last thing I do. And that's a solemn vow."

Abby nodded, then, as they were both physically and emotionally spent, she and Tony fell asleep, held tightly in each other's arms.


	3. These Wounds Won't Seem to Heal

A/N: Hooray! Praise Jesus, the hurricane turned! The only damage we had was a few fallen tree limbs and leaves all over the place. :D I shall try my best to get the next chapter up before the next episode, but I can't promise anything. Without any further ago, I give you…

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Chapter Three - "These Wounds Won't Seem to Heal"

Gibbs sat at his desk, slightly subdued and very tired. He sighed and rubbed his eyes; he hadn't been sleeping much since Kate's death. After making sure that Tony was okay on that terrible Tuesday, he had gone home and worked on his boat. As he had sanded the frame, his tears had fallen and mixed with the sawdust to create a gritty mess on the floor. He had finally fallen asleep, exhausted, in the bottom of the boat, which he christened "The Caitlin". Wednesday night was much the same, although he had gotten a little more sleep.

Gibbs looked over at Tony, who was working busily on a cold case. He became slightly jealous when he noticed that Tony didn't appear to be sleep-deprived at all. Little did he know that the younger agent had resorted taking several sleeping pills to finally find rest. Next, his gaze fell upon Kate's empty desk. After blaming himself for her death for several minutes, he decided to call Abby.

When an unfamiliar voice answered the phone on the Lab extension, Gibbs was surprised, a thing that didn't happen very often. The male technician informed Gibbs that Abby hadn't come in yesterday or today, and that he was filling in until Ms. Sciuto returned. Gibbs thanked him curtly and dialed Abby's home phone number. The phone just kept ringing and ringing. Beginning to grow irritated, he tried her cell and got a message saying that "the wireless customer he was trying to reach was currently unavailable." Now more than annoyed, he pushed his chair back and stood up, grabbing his keys.

"Going somewhere, boss?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Out to lunch," Gibbs answered tersely.

"But it's only eleven," Tony commented, looking at his watch.

"So go on an early lunch break. Just be back by one." With that, Gibbs left the bullpen.

XXXXXX

Gibbs knocked on Abby's door. "Abby?" he called.

"Who is it?" Abby returned with a dull voice.

"It's Gibbs. Let me in, Abbs."

"Go away." Abby returned her attention to the movie she was watching.

"I'm not going anywhere until you let me in," Gibbs stated resolutely.

"Leave me alone." She turned up the volume.

"Abby, open up," Gibbs ordered, pounding on the door. There was silence from within. "Abby, you open this door or I'll break it down!" he roared.

Abby sighed; she didn't doubt his threat. She retrieved a remote from the coffee table and pointed it at the door, pressing a button. There was a "click" as the deadbolt unlocked; McGee had installed the special locks for her several months ago.

Gibbs opened the front door and barged into Abby's living room. The sight with which he was greeted saddened him. Abby lay on the couch, hair unkempt, no goth make-up, wearing pajamas, with Kate's flowery blanket wrapped around her. There were a half-dozen empty Caf-Pow's next to the couch, along with a photo album and a stack of chick flick DVD's.

Abby looked up at him, her eyes dull and sorrowful. "What do you want?"

"We couldn't get ahold of you, and we've been really worried about you, Abbs," he answered, slightly concerned at her deeply depressed mood.

"I'm fine." Even she was surprised at how unconvincing she sounded.

"Why don't you get dressed and we can go eat lunch?"

"No." Abby looked back at the movie. It had been one of Kate's favorites.

Gibbs sighed; Abby could be extremely stubborn when she wanted to be. "Then I'll order pizza. What kind do you want?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Abby, you've got to eat." He sat in the comfy chair next to her.

"I'm fine, Gibbs," she lied.

"Abby, when was the last time you ate?" he asked, starting to grow worried. She made no reply. "Abbs," he said sternly, "you _have_ to eat."

She continued to stare at the television screen.

"Fine, I'll order the pizza and see how you act when I wave it under your nose." He walked over to her phone on the counter and saw that it was disconnected. He sighed and plugged it back in. Then he ordered the pizza.

Twenty minutes later, Gibbs' order arrived. Gibbs paid the man and then sat down on the couch next to his friend. He waved a slice of steaming pepperoni pizza under Abby's nose.

Abby didn't even look at him.

"Dang it, Abby! What good does starving yourself do?" Silence. "What would Kate think if she knew you were doing this?"

As soon as Gibbs mentioned Kate's name, Abby turned and frowned at him.

"It's okay for you to miss her, Abbs. I miss her, too. But this isn't good for you. Please. Kate would want you to eat." He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently rubbed it. "Abby…please?"

Abby looked at his pleading eyes for a moment; Gibbs' eyes _rarely_ pleaded. Finally, she gave in. She took the proffered slice of pizza and devoured it in a matter of seconds.

Gibbs smiled. "_That's_ my Abby." He handed her another slice and grabbed one for himself.

They ate without speaking for a few minutes, then Abby broke the silence. "What's your favorite memory of her?"

The question caught Gibbs off-guard. "Hmm…" He had to think about it for a minute. "Maybe…watching her rappel…or that one time when she went under-cover as a club dancer. She looked gorgeous in that little red dress."

Abby raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Gibbs pulled his best "innocent" face. "Just because I didn't care for her in _that_ way doesn't mean I'm blind."

Abby grinned and reached for another slice of pizza.

"What about you?"

Abby thought hard for all of two seconds, then said, "Probably her and me wearing those ridiculous hats and tricking McGee out of forty dollars." Abby seem to perk up as she recalled the fond memories. "And having her work in the lab with me. Oh! And going to the spa on weekends. And…making wedding plans…I was going to be the maid of honor," she finished quietly.

Silence ensued for a moment, then Abby spoke up again. "How's Tony?" She reached for a Caf-Pow that had a small portion of drink remaining and took a sip.

"He hasn't cracked a joke since Tuesday and he rarely smiles, except when he talks about her. Every so often something will remind him of her. Sometimes he'll smile and reminisce a memory; other times he'll become irritable. He's really thrown himself into work. I think it's his way of working it out and not completely breaking down."

Abby nodded, then asked, "How's McGee?"

Gibbs sighed. "I don't think he's ever lost anyone close to him; he's taking it harder than I expected. He asked if he could take off the rest of the week as vacation and I let him. I guess he needs time alone to sort through his emotions." Gibbs paused, then said with a half-smile, "Don't tell him I know, but a new character by the name of 'Katie Dodd' had made her way into one of his stories."

Abby chuckled. When silence reigned again, she reached for the photo album lying on the floor. She handed it to Gibbs and he slowly opened it. Abby smiled at Gibbs' amused reaction to the pictures; they were slumber party photographs that had been taken at Kate's apartment one weekend around two in the morning.

After several pages, the pictures became less crazy. As Gibbs continued flipping through the pages, Abby felt her throat constricting. A few photos more and she couldn't stop a couple of tears from falling. When Gibbs looked up at her, she quickly wiped them away. He closed the book and pulled his friend into his arms. Abby lay her head on his shoulder and sniffled. "Dang it, Gibbs, is it always going to hurt this bad?"

"It takes time, Abbs. Healing is a slow process." He gently rubbed her back. "We're _all_ hurting."

She wiped at her tears. "I haven't lost someone this close to me in a long time."

"I know, Abbs…"

After a few moments, Abby regained control of her emotions. "Are you going to be alright?" Gibbs asked. "Because I have to get back to the office."

Abby rubbed a hand under her nose. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Alright." They stood and Abby walked him to the door.

"Hey, Gibbs," Abby called just as he was leaving.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." She hugged him gratefully.

"No problem, Abby, that's what friends are for."

She smiled as she released him.

"You _are_ coming to the funeral tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be there."

"Good. Bye, Abby."

"Bye, Bossman," she said with a wink.


	4. Final Goodbyes

The day of Kate's funeral arrived, and those attending were busy getting dressed. Abby dug through her closet and found her black dress; it was the one that was worn only to Church and funerals. Knowing that Kate had always loved Abby's pigtails, she decided to leave them in. Abby grabbed her parasol, for the funeral was to be outdoors, and headed for work.

The four men in Kate's life were dressing up as well. Gibbs had dragged his suit out of mothballs and was pleased to see that it still fit. Ducky, Gibbs, Tony, and McGee all bought different colored roses for their coworker, an event that wasn't coordinated on purpose. Once arriving at NCIS headquarters, all five of them, including Abby, piled into Gibbs' car and drove to the airport. Once there, they boarded a flight for Indiana, where Kate's parents lived.

XXXXXX

The funeral was being held in southern Indiana on a sunny green lawn with tall oak trees providing shade. There was a man in clerical garb talking to an older man and woman who had gloomy countenances. When Abby saw the young lady standing next to them, she approached her. "Samantha." She managed a genuine smile as she greeted the woman.

The young woman Abby was greeting looked like a younger version of Kate: same kind eyes, same brunette hair, but her face was more oval. "Abby!" She faintly smiled when she saw the goth.

"I'm so sorry about Kate. You have my sympathies." Abby offered condolences and a hug.

Samantha hugged Abby tightly. "Thank you, Abby. I don't think it's really sunk in yet that my big sister is gone," she said, releasing the other woman.

"I reacted opposite. The news hit me like a ton of bricks."

"I'm sure in a few days I'll be lying on the couch, watching home videos and eating chocolates and ice cream," Samantha replied, trying to make light of the situation.

"Yep. That's what I did." Noticing that there were other people waiting to offer comforting words, Abby said, "I should go now. Call me sometime."

"I will," Samantha promised as Abby went to stand by her friends.

Wanting to pay his last respects to the woman who would have been his bride, Tony advanced toward the casket in the center of the lawn. As he looked at her lovingly, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked, even in death. "Kate…I swear I'll kill Ari for doing this to you." His tone was slightly harsh and revealed the bitterness he felt, but then it dropped to a whisper, "I loved you so much…you were my dream girl, Katie…and I'll always love you." After gazing at her sadly for a minute more, he murmured, "Goodbye, Kate." On his way back to his comrades, he passed Gibbs, who was taking his turn to say his final goodbyes.

Upon seeing the body of his deceased coworker, Gibbs felt waves of bitterness, guilt, and self-resentment wash over him. "I'm so sorry, Kate," he murmured, "This is all my fault. I should have shot him when I had the chance…I'm so sorry." His voice dropped so low that it was barely audible. Deciding that seeing her lifeless form was only depressing him more, he uttered a soft, "Bye, Kate."

When Gibbs returned, Abby turned to McGee, who had returned from his "vacation". "Have you seen her yet?" she asked.

"No," McGee answered quietly, "I couldn't bring myself to go down to autopsy."

"Want to come with me?" Abby offered him her arm.

"Thanks, Abby." McGee linked his arm through hers and the two of them approached the open casket.

"Look who I brought to see you," Abby announced to her departed friend.

McGee took a deep breath, then looked upon the lifeless body of his fallen partner.

The funeral home had done a very good job. Except for the slight pallor of Kate's face, one might think she was sleeping. The hole in her forehead had been expertly covered and was completely invisible. She looked beautiful in the light blue dress her sister had chosen, and appeared to be smiling slightly.

"Well, Kate," McGee said softly, "I guess this is goodbye. You were such an inspiration to me and I could always count on you to come through for me in the end. Thanks for being a good partner…and friend." He removed his arm from Abby's and returned to stand next to Tony, Gibbs, and Ducky.

Abby continued to stare at her best friend for a few moments longer. "You're the best friend I ever had, Kate. I'm gonna miss you so much. So long." She went back to stand with her friends just as Father Andrews made his way to the front of the crowd.

While he began speaking, Kate's casket was closed and a flag draped over it. After a moment, he said, "I believe that Doctor Mallard, one of Kate's coworkers, would like to share a few words."

Ducky stood up and moved to stand next to the priest. Then he began a very stirring eulogy. "Caitlin Todd was a very dear friend of mine. While we had only known each other two years, she had become like a daughter to me. She was strong, smart, beautiful, witty, and an excellent field agent. She could handle anything a hardened male agent could handle, and wasn't afraid of a challenge. But the reason I came to love and respect Kate was because of her loving personality and gentle spirit. While she could get angry at times, she was mostly soft-spoken and a delight to be around."

Ducky's touching eulogy went on for about four minutes more, and reduced Abby to tears. He was followed by an equally poignant tribute by Benjamin, Kate's brother. When Benjamin was finished, Father Andrews began the benediction. There was silence after the final "Amen" that was not broken for several minutes. One by one, the three male agents, one medical examiner, and one forensic specialist filed past the casket and laid their flowers atop the wooden box.

XXXXXX

As the five NCIS personnel made their way back to Gibbs' car, Ducky spoke up. "Why don't we go someplace for lunch. My treat."

"You are so sweet, Duckman," Abby said, taking Ducky's arm.

Ducky smiled and patted her arm.

When they reached the car, Tony turned to look back. He watched with moist eyes as Kate's casket was loaded into the hearse that would take her to her final resting place. As they closed the door of the hearse, he whispered for the last time, "Bye, Kate."

Finis

* * *

A/N: Sorry that I took so long to get this out; I've been trying to get ready for Homecoming. :D I promise you that I had all of this in my head before watching "Kill Ari (Part II)". The only thing I took from that ep was the fact that the funeral was in Indiana. And for those of you who missed my earlier note, the "twist" to which I was referring was that Kate and Tony were engaged. I have only read one post-Twilight fic and it had no ship, so if someone else already did that idea, I'm sorry. I didn't copy it on purpose. For those of you who wanted a revenge fic, I'm sorry, that's just not my thing; it would have stunk so badly… I hope this story didn't disappoint anyone. 


End file.
